Health on the Go

Wondering what the side effects are for your new prescription? Or the symptoms of H1N1 flu when the school nurse calls to say your child doesn’t feel well? A new NIH web site called Mobile MedlinePlus can help.

Mobile MedlinePlus lets you gain ready access to reliable health information that’s optimized for your mobile phone. It’s available in English at http://m.medlineplus.gov and Spanish at http://m.medlineplus.gov/spanish.

Some experts predict that within the next 5 years, more people will connect to the Internet using mobile devices than with desktop or laptop computers. NIH’s National Library of Medicine created Mobile MedlinePlus based on the popular MedlinePlus web site. The MedlinePlus web site provides authoritative consumer health information to over 10 million visitors per month.

The mobile version of MedlinePlus includes summaries for over 800 diseases, wellness topics, the latest health news, an illustrated medical encyclopedia and information on prescription and over-the-counter medications.

You can use the site to get tips on healthy food choices when grocery shopping, or select an over-the-counter cold medicine at the drug store. Or you can learn about safe drinking water when you’re traveling abroad.

If you access the Internet with mobile devices, bookmark Mobile MedlinePlus. It puts reliable health information at your fingertips.